Personally, I think we are at the top of a trend, or even slightly passed it, which will probably slow down, and eventually maybe even reverse.

I remember very clearly when , in the late 80s early 90s, skiing first and roadbiking second were supposed to be doomed by the explosive growth of snowboarding and MBKing. I don't know if you guys have seen the latest trends on those disciplines... (and I'm both a snow and dirt rider).

I came across this magazine ad (below). I would have to think back 15 years to remember a commercial that was (indirectly) displaying a sailboard to get a cool/positive/ trendy subliminal association with the product advertised (and unrelated to the quite catchy punch-line).

Is it maybe -just maybe- that while Kiteboarding is definitely easier to learn, and even train on ground, its limitations (lack of flotation, etc... you name it), are offsetting its clear advantages? Maybe being at the Olympics is not that cool after all (didn't do much for WSing, IMHO).

Wasn't the old paradigm difficult->radical conditions->limited access->greater "cool" and "wanna do it" factor? What I think WS lacks is a greater commitment to get "kids" (up to 25) on a sailboard; to hitting the water together, racing with each other (for fun!), try tricks together (the ones that do it, mainly couples, seem to have great fun at it), be and stay in the pack (on the beach also, but mainly on the water!). Kiters do that -maybe because of a higher safety concern- and they seem to enjoy the community feeling, we do it less (some folks will barely say hi, even if they've seen you parking in the same spot for the last 10 years)... but that's maybe for another thread.

Sorry but i think what's going on is that the Mini's ad-folk wanted to project a certain vibe - clean, adrenline, action, outdoor, etc, and a kite board, with the exception of a few race boards, look like a wake board, or a snow board, which doesn't like much sitting on top of a car and doesn't have the mass nor the pointy nose, and color.

The VW ad was very cool because it tapped into the rivalry between these two sports that most of the public don't even know how they differ. VW ads are the only ads I stop the TiVo to watch.

Very informative post. Provocative and enlightening.
Unlike my other pastime surfing; I live in Pacifica. Windsurfing means no crowds, high speed thrills and wide open spaces and endless reaches Coyote, Embassy etc...... Thanks for a great and unique perspective.

Awesome and fun!
But that's a German ad... WS is (was?) second only to soccer there! In the Summer months maybe even first.
"Robby" in the 80's/early 90's had Messiah-status there! For mainstream USA he was just another dude...

tomg wrote:

VW ads are the only ads I stop the TiVo to watch.

...ok, ok, my bad: I don't watch TiVo or TV, hence I have to rely on magazines (for work) and the Internet (mainly YouTube) for my exposure to mainstream commercial promotion.
I get it that you could play the rivalry angle between the two disciplines, which do differ, even if both need (in relation to what I was saying above) the correspondent of wheels and snow: no board, wind and water and nothing goes.
Anyway, we agree that a board and a sail is ("still"?) synonym of clean, adrenaline fueled, outdoor action.

But, aside of the ad, which was mainly meant to be thought provoking, what would you say about the concept that fewer practitioners doesn't necessarily mean a discipline is dying? A discipline dies, IMHO, when the core practitioners, both amateurs and professionals, stop exuding a level of stoke strong enough to entice new practitioners.
This does not seem to be the case ("yet" or "at all") with WS; neither at regional (http://vimeo.com/68027574) nor at global (http://vimeo.com/45361052#) level.

Ha! True, but that may be part of the problem.
I would argue that in the Bay Area (unless one's racing), you can leave home, depending on forecast and sailing location, with two boards and three (spaced out) sails, honing your technique to make them work. If you go always to the same location, one board depending on the tide.

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